David Weekly Upgrades (hardwood floors, appliances, new house)

[SmtSF]

As we go through the design process and I reach for the aspirin related to each 'upgrade' mark-up, I am wondering if any of you fab forumers have an opinion on the need for canned lights, outlets in the soffett , floor outlet in the family room, outlet for freezer in the garage?

Thank you!

[EricBoyd]

I don't know if DW offers them, but ask about upgraded bathroom exhaust fans. I recommend you get high-volume, low noise exhaust fans, including 4-6" ductwork. When we built our house back in 2010, I didn't think about asking our builder to upgrade them. I did, however, upgrade it myself, after the fact. I went with a Panasonic Whisper-Quiet 150. It requires 6" ductwork and it moves 150 CFM.

[EricBoyd]

As far as your list, I believe in future-proofing a house. Even if you don't think you'll need it, it's much cheaper to do it when the walls/ceilings are open, instead of having an electrician crawl through an insulation-filled attic (which may reduce the R-value once it's pressed down or kicked around) to run new wires after the fact.

Consider having electrical conduit run from the main panel to an outside location for a sub-panel. This may be classified as a 'pool circuit run' or 'backup generator run'. Get the conduit in the wall, so wire can later be run between the 2 points.

[KathyKB]

We are building a home in SC and have just been through the design phase. My goal is not to have any change orders (expensive) once the building has started. We are having recessed lights but also floor outlets for the great room as I like ambient lamp light and wall outlets for the bedrooms. We saved money by opting for 9' ceilings instead of 10' and that meant we could now use standard size interior doors rather than have custom made doors. With a vaulted ceiling in the great room and tray ceiling in the dining room, it is hardly noticeable. We came from a home with 9' ceilings and that was plenty tall enough. I also saved money by opting for pre-engineered hardwood floors with tight seams (so that dirt/dust doesn't settle in them) rather than hand-scraped HW which had large seams. I upgraded the kitchen appliances, expanded the screened in back porch, and had the builder re-design the master bath to allow for my disabled husband to have a large roll in shower with seat. Since neither of us can get in or out of a tub and prefer showers, I had them take out the free-standing tub under the window and build in a window seat with storage so we can sit down when towelling off etc. There is a tub in the guest rooms. I also ordered interior light fixtures from Lighting Direct and saved money rather than going to the builder's lighting showroom. Will do same for the ceiling fans. We looked for ways to save money and still have a nice, functional but not ostentatious home.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by SmtSF

As we go through the design process and I reach for the aspirin related to each 'upgrade' mark-up, I am wondering if any of you fab forumers have an opinion on the need for canned lights, outlets in the soffett , floor outlet in the family room, outlet for freezer in the garage?

Thank you!

Your lighting outlets will depend on what kind of lighting you want and where you want to put it. IOW - your plan. Unless your plan is to live in the dark .

You will need at least some power outlets in the garage. Which come standard - and what do you have to pay extra for? Note that most people I know - including me - have a second refrigerator in the garage for things like beverages and extra freezer space. Robyn

P.S. Assuming your builder is nickle and diming you (sounds like it) - don't forget elementary things like at least one hose bib on each of 4 sides of your house.

[SaintCabbage]

Originally Posted by KathyKB

We are building a home in SC and have just been through the design phase. My goal is not to have any change orders (expensive) once the building has started. We are having recessed lights but also floor outlets for the great room as I like ambient lamp light and wall outlets for the bedrooms. We saved money by opting for 9' ceilings instead of 10' and that meant we could now use standard size interior doors rather than have custom made doors. With a vaulted ceiling in the great room and tray ceiling in the dining room, it is hardly noticeable. We came from a home with 9' ceilings and that was plenty tall enough. I also saved money by opting for pre-engineered hardwood floors with tight seams (so that dirt/dust doesn't settle in them) rather than hand-scraped HW which had large seams. I upgraded the kitchen appliances, expanded the screened in back porch, and had the builder re-design the master bath to allow for my disabled husband to have a large roll in shower with seat. Since neither of us can get in or out of a tub and prefer showers, I had them take out the free-standing tub under the window and build in a window seat with storage so we can sit down when towelling off etc. There is a tub in the guest rooms. I also ordered interior light fixtures from Lighting Direct and saved money rather than going to the builder's lighting showroom. Will do same for the ceiling fans. We looked for ways to save money and still have a nice, functional but not ostentatious home.

If you arent getting standard 10 foot ceilings in a new house today, work with someone else, that seems ridiculous. And if you arent going to work with a different builder pay for 10 foot ceilings, it makes a huge difference in how big a house feels.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by SaintCabbage

If you arent getting standard 10 foot ceilings in a new house today, work with someone else, that seems ridiculous. And if you arent going to work with a different builder pay for 10 foot ceilings, it makes a huge difference in how big a house feels.

I'm with you in terms of the 10' ceilings. As opposed to lower heights. Higher ones too (super high ceilings can make a normal size room's proportions feel "off"). 10' ceilings pair well with 8' doors - which - IIRC - are a "standard" size. 8' ceilings feel "old" today - and date a place. And 9' just seems kind of odd to me. Then again - the person with the 9' ceilings is apparently building in South Carolina - and I don't know what the norm is there.

BTW - our builder wasn't a nickel and dime person - but he was really OCD in terms of specs. He wouldn't quote us a price until we had a complete "meeting of the minds" on all the basics - and the details. We wound up with a 10 or so page document which covered everything. If anyone is interested in the ground we covered in the specs - I can probably find them and summarize what they covered. Things like hose bibs may not seem important - until you go to hook up a hose - and find that the nearest one is on the other side of the house . Robyn

[KathyKB]

Actually the 9' ceilings are only in the bedrooms, laundry room and study, all off the large, open great room which has a high vaulted ceiling. The dining room has a tray ceiling and molding and it is open to the great room. I didn't see a noticeably different effect when comparing heights for these rooms so we decided to use that money to make the house handicap accessible. Each home owner's needs are different and again, we came from a home with 9' ceilings and it was perfectly fine. Our builder drew plans according to our wishes and budget.

[GeorgeJ.]

Originally Posted by EricBoyd

As far as your list, I believe in future-proofing a house. Even if you don't think you'll need it, it's much cheaper to do it when the walls/ceilings are open, instead of having an electrician crawl through an insulation-filled attic (which may reduce the R-value once it's pressed down or kicked around) to run new wires after the fact.

Consider having electrical conduit run from the main panel to an outside location for a sub-panel. This may be classified as a 'pool circuit run' or 'backup generator run'. Get the conduit in the wall, so wire can later be run between the 2 points.

We also had extra electrical done when building our house in 2006 and it didn't add much to the cost. Didn't think of generator wiring until I flew out to do a pre-drywall inspection. The electrical contractor was there that day and he agreed to add it -- but I had to run over to the bank first to get $250 cash and then a money order from the Post Office as they wanted it paid directly to them. The propane company ran an extra line from the buried tank & capped and buried it where the generator will go when I finally get one. So I'm good to go with a generator at some point.